Development of the Sd. Kfz. 7 can be traced back to a 1934 requirement for an 8-ton half-track. The vehicle first appeared in 1938 and was destined to be used mainly as the tractor for the 8.8cm flak gun. The Sd. Kfz. 7 was an extremely useful vehicle, employed both as a weapons carrier and prime mover by the Wehrmacht. They also saw service as observation and command posts for V2 rocket batteries. The vehicle could carry up to 12 men and a considerable quantity of supplies, as well as pulling up to 8000kg (17,600 lbs) of equipment. Most were fitted with a winch, which enabled them to pull smaller disabled vehicles out of mud or other quagmires. A mainstay of the German Army, the Sd. Kfz. 7 was even admired by the enemies of the Reich. In fact, the British tried to make exact copies of captured Sd. Kfz. 7s and some vehicles were appropriated for use by the Allies after World War II.

Pictured here is a 1:50 scale replica of a German Kraus-Maffei Sd. Kfz. 7 prime mover attached to the 9.SS Panzer Division "Hohenstaufen" during 1945. Sold Out!

Historical Account: "Hohenstaufen"- The 9.SS Panzer Division "Hohenstaufen" was mainly formed from conscripts, many of them from the RAD. It first saw action at Tanopol in April 1944 where it took part in rescuing German troops from the Kamenets-Podolsk pocket. It was then sent to Normandy to oppose the Allied landings. The unit retreated into Belgium before being sent to rest near Arnhem where they soon had to fight Allied paratroopers landing there as part of Operation Market-Garden. It was then transferred to Germany and later fought in the Ardennes and Hungary before ending the war in Austria in April 1945.